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19 July 2006 : Column 474W—continued
Jobcentres
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many jobcentres are operating in (a) non-rural and (b) rural areas of Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [86318]
Maria Eagle: The Department helps employers fill their vacancies and assists jobseekers to find employment through a network of 35 offices (25 Jobs and Benefits offices, JBOs where a joint work-focused
service is provided with the Social Security Agency, and 10 jobcentres) located in towns and cities throughout Northern Ireland.
There are eight offices serving the city of Belfast, two in Londonderry, and one each in the cities of Armagh, Lisburn and Newry. The remaining 22 offices are located in each of the main rural towns of Northern Ireland.
In order to deliver the Government's policy on welfare-to-work the Department is working in partnership with the Social Security Agency to provide a joined-up work-focused jobs and benefits service. Some 25 of the planned 35 offices have been rolled out as JBOs. It is expected that rollout of the remaining 10, Andersonstown, Ballymena, Ballynahinch, Bangor, North Belfast, Cookstown, Downpatrick, Newcastle, Newtownards and Strabane, will be complete by March 2008.
MI5 Headquarters
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what costs have been incurred for the new MI5 headquarters in Northern Ireland; what the projected total cost is; and to which budget the funding has been allocated. [85444]
Mr. McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
It has been the established policy of successive Governments not to comment on such matters.
Police
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers are allocated to the Ards area of Strangford. [85089]
Paul Goggins: The police strength for Ards DCU is as follows:
Regular—143.75
Full-Time Reserve—20
Part-Time Reserve and Con part-time combined—56
Public Appointments
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many public appointments are within his patronage; what (a) salary and (b) other emoluments are attached to each; and what the comparable figures were in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1996. [83169]
Mr. Hain: Details of the public appointments to public bodies sponsored by the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland departments can be found in “Public Bodies”, copies of which are in the Library. “Public Bodies” has been published annually since 1980 and the most recent edition provides figures for 2005. Each edition of “Public Bodies” contains details on the number of public appointments and remuneration details for that particular year. Comparable information for 1976 in respect of the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland departments could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
More detailed information about the chairs and members of Northern Ireland Office public appointments is published each year in the NIO departmental report. Similar information for those sponsored by Northern Ireland's eleven government departments is published in their annual public appointments annual report. Copies of the latest versions of both these reports are available from the Library of the House and can be found on the internet at:
www.nio.gov.uk/nio_departmental_report_2006.pdf and www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/public-appointments .
Rape Crisis Centre
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to ensure the continued operation of the Rape Crisis Centre in Belfast; and if he will make a statement. [86319]
Paul Goggins: Government are committed to funding high-quality services which provide the best possible support for victims of rape and sexual violence in Northern Ireland.
The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has previously highlighted to the Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Centre (NI) Ltd. concerns regarding the failure of the organisation to comply with the terms and conditions of grant funding. These concerns included the keeping of proper records, sound financial accountability and proper corporate governance arrangements.
The latest financial verification report indicates a continuing failure to address the long-standing issues raised and the Department has now advised the organisation that it is mindful to cease funding and invited any comments it wishes to make on this matter within 14 days.
The decision to cease funding for any organisation which provides a service to vulnerable people is never taken lightly. However, in view of the continued failure of this organisation to meet Government accounting requirements, the Department has been left with no other option but to cease funding.
The funding that would have been directed to the Rape Crisis Centre will be allocated to other support services for victims of rape and sexual violence.
Road Maintenance
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many motorists have submitted claim forms for damage done to their vehicles due to pot holes on roads in the last three years; and how many received compensation for damages. [86388]
David Cairns: The number of vehicle damage compensation claims related to potholes received by the Department for Regional Development over the last three years and the number for which vehicle compensation was paid are set out in the following table.
| Pothole claims received | Compensation paid | |
Sexual Health
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department gave to the Belfast Brook Advisory Centre in each year since its opening; and what the rates of sexually transmitted infections were in Northern Ireland in each year over the same period. [85221]
Paul Goggins: Information is only available from 1997. Health and Social Services Boards have provided the following funding to Brook in each year since 1997.
| £ | |
In addition the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has provided one-off funding to the organisation as follows.
| £ | |
The incidence rates of sexually transmitted infections is not available. However, information is available on the total number of episodes (for selected diagnoses of sexually transmitted infection), seen for care at GUM clinics, in Northern Ireland since 1995. This is shown in the following table.
Speed Cameras
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which areas will be targeted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland to test the SPECS3 cameras to apprehend speeding cars; and if he will make a statement. [85052]
Paul Goggins: The cameras are to be trialled on the Kempstones Road between Dundonald and Newtownards. This is for the purposes of scientific testing only.
Stephen Murtagh
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the Stephen Murtagh case. [85057]
Paul Goggins: My hon. Friend the Member for St. Helens, South (Mr. Woodward), met Stephen Murtagh in April and decided that a review of the published papers associated with the circumstances leading to the death of Mr. Murtagh’s wife, Janine, would be appropriate. The Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety is conducting the review and will report to me in the autumn.
Street Lighting
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Department of Regional Development has plans to remove restrictions on the number of street lights in rural areas. [86303]
David Cairns: The Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service (Mr Geoff Allister) has been asked to write to the hon. Lady in response to this question.
Letter from Mr Geoff Allister, dated 19 July 2006:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding whether the Department of Regional Development has plans to remove restrictions on the number of street lights in rural areas.
As this issue falls within my responsibility as Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
The main criterion for providing street lighting in rural areas is based on the density of housing although we also take
cognisance of night time injury accident statistics which indicate that the provision of lighting would contribute to a reduction in such accidents.
In June 2006, Roads Service Board agreed an extension to the rural lighting criteria to ensure a consistent approach to the lighting of important junctions on the strategic network. This additional criterion will apply when new junctions are provided, and existing junctions that meet the criterion shall be lit retrospectively over a number of years subject to the availability of funds.
However, in the course of its considerations, Roads Service has to seek a balance on the demand for additional lighting against the effects of increased urbanisation of the countryside and the environmental impact on wildlife, flora and the night sky.
Students
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many full-time students resident in the Irish Republic attended (a) further and (b) higher education colleges in Northern Ireland in 2005; at what total cost to the education budget in that year; and what proportion of this cost was paid by the Government of the Irish Republic. [84934]
Maria Eagle: The number of full-time students resident in the Irish Republic attending further education colleges in Northern Ireland in the 2004-05 academic year was 1,010. The cost of this to the further education budget in that year was in the region of £3.5 million. No element of the cost of the further education budget was paid by the Government of the Irish Republic.
The number of full-time students resident in the Irish Republic attending higher education colleges in Northern Ireland in the 2004-05 academic year was 2,249. The approximate cost of this to the higher education budget in that year was £7.8 million. No element of this cost was paid by the Government of the Irish Republic.
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